Twice in My Life

Twice in my life I have had a Spanish teacher make it a point to tell me how horrible a student I was.  I can never remember the exact words that were used, but it was to the effect of "worst student ever...".  Not to say that I didn't deserve the title, but it's definitely not one I would wish upon my progeny.

That paragraph describes one of the many platypuses in my life.  Why platypus?  Well, in Christian circles I have often heard that we know God has a sense of humor because of platypuses.  So, me being a missionary in Peru certainly qualifies as a humorous situation.  I go from worst student ever, to being completely immersed in the language.  I know, I am stating the obvious.  But I think for this story, the obvious serves a purpose.  Commencing story:

This past week of rugby was an interesting one, filled with opportunity and running.  On Tuesday I hopped in a taxi by myself for a 30 minute drive.  But before I did so, I talked for about 30 minutes with a guard that works down the street. 

I was trying to catch a cab for a few minutes and I was not having any luck.  Next thing I know, this guy Carlos, comes over and we drum up a conversation.  Carlos, my new friend, is someone I have purposefully waved to for several months.  He is a guard for San Fernando, a grocery store by our house.  He always waves back, and then gets back to guarding stuff. 

In our conversation suddenly my limited Spanish started to free itself.  After talking and talking, I finally had to break away because I was already late for practice.  However, before I left, we set up a time to get together for lunch on his only day off.

I hopped in the taxi, gave my driver Jesus an Inca Cola, and then talked to him for the entire drive.  My Spanish was getting better and better.  I know because they all understood me.  Praise Jesus, (not the driver). 

Friday Carlos called me and we went to lunch together.  However, I need you to understand the importance of the last sentence.  In almost six months in ministry, because of my language limitations, I have NEVER invited someone to lunch without a translator.  It was unbelievable.  I only understood 60% of the conversation, but he helped me out.  We joked. He told me about his family, his jobs... his beliefs on cussing.  I told him about my family, my jobs, and how sometimes I have caught myself saying a bad word or two. 

I know that God was in the middle of that conversation, even in the parts I didn't understand.  He invited me to see his family in their home, about three hours away... (I think).  I gave him my dictionary, and he is already practicing words in English.  Who knows what will happen? 

However, it got me thinking a lot.  The worst Spanish student ever, ate homemade chinese food in Lima, Peru with a person who only speaks Spanish.  Nehemiah was a cup bearer before he was a wall builder... 

Only God can orchestrate that kind of a platypus.

(I have now unofficially, officially copyrighted the term platypus.)

Shaun

Cantar- To Sing

 I like to sing. I don’t claim to be very good but I am not tone deaf. I’ve been in my share of choirs, musicals, and ensembles. Being in Peru has been a new challenge, in all aspects, but especially in one way I didn’t expect: Music. Of course the language in Peru is Spanish, but I guess I hadn’t thought about the fact that the worship on Sunday’s would also be in Spanish. Below is the play by play of my experience with Sunday morning worship.

 The first couple of weeks: Interesting, to say the least. My brain was on overload trying to understand anything and everything. If we sang a familiar song I would unintentionally focus more on the English, singing it quietly to myself. I didn’t realize I was missing out on the blessing of worshiping God in a completely new way, but when you don’t understand anything going on around you, you tend to hold on tightly to what you do know.

 Fast forward a few months: Singing the same handful of songs can really boost your confidence. I felt like I was finally grasping the general idea of the music. I knew the tune and could keep up with the pace. Granted, I still had no idea about the literal translation of the words, but it was better than nothing. At this point this is what my thought process probably sounded like, “Spanish word Spanish word JESUS Spanish word Spanish word LIFE Spanish word  Spanish Word AND Spanish Word...” You get the idea. At this point I was becoming more interested in learning how to translate the songs, rather than my limited understanding.

 At one point I had started thinking about what it might be like to not only sing in Spanish, but also understand everything I was singing, giving me the opportunity to really worship. It had crossed my mind to ask about joining the worship team, but I was not confident and kept the thought to myself. However, shortly thereafter Shaun approached me with the same question, “Have you ever thought about joining the worship team.” Coincidence? I think not.

 After praying about it and weighing the pros and cons I finally mustered up the courage to ask. The worst thing that could happen is that I would get a big, fat, “NO”. (I actually expected it. I’m trying to work on the confidence thing) I had my supporting speech all ready, “I’m not the best, but I really think I would learn more Spanish, it would help me practice my pronunciation, and maybe even help me become more confident.” I didn’t even get to the speech. All I had to do was ask and Cesar (the leader and a friend of ours) said, “Of course!” Turns out they were in the final stages of changing several things about worship, including new music and some new members. He said I would be coming in at the perfect time! We decided that I would sit in on a few weekly practices before becoming active just to get a little more comfortable.

 3 weeks ago: I joined the team for my first practice run. There were 3 of us; Carlos (Lead singer), Cesar (Guitar) and me (uhhh). It was then that I found out that the worship team would be Carlos, me and one other girl, Giselle, but that she was not able to make it to practice during the week and would join us for practice before the service on Sunday. I was then handed brand new music (I had never heard) and practice began. I butchered my way through the first practice, but you have to start somewhere! They left me the music and the lyrics so I could work on them during the week and asked if I was ready to sing with them on Sunday. I thought they were kidding, but they were serious. I decided against it, but agreed to join them for practice on Sunday morning, just to get used to it. Practice went well, and as I went to take my seat Cesar said, “So, you’re going to sing with us today, right?” I. went. numb. but after regaining feeling I somehow let them talk me into joining them. Shaun had reminded me that it wasn’t a performance for anyone, but it was praise to God. I tried to keep that in mind, but I kept my eyes on my lyrics and my thoughts on the pronunciation. During a pause I glanced up and I realized that not one person was looking at me, and that’s when I was reminded that this was not about me. It was a very humbling experience!

 Over the past 2 weeks I have really focused on practicing my Spanish and understanding the translation to each song. I can’t say I don’t get a little nervous right before worship starts, but as I focus more on the music and less on myself or the people around me, the nervousness goes away. I want this to be something I remember as a blessing. I want to be able to tell people that God allowed me, an American that speaks English, the opportunity to praise Him in another country with their language.

 For me it’s really exciting that now, instead of this:

“Spanish word Spanish word JESUS Spanish word Spanish word LIFE Spanish word  Spanish Word AND Spanish Word...”

 I understand this:

“Jesus is the bread of life, the manna of my desert, my energy, my sustainer. Jesus is the bread of life, my first necessity and without Him I am nothing. Because Jesus is the eternal bread of life.”

 It’s a process, and I am constantly learning, but I am thankful to have a new opportunity to work on my Spanish, in a way that I enjoy!